


Five Kisses

by orphan_account



Category: Princess Tutu
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-19
Updated: 2014-11-19
Packaged: 2018-02-26 07:12:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2642834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five vignettes about kissing in various contexts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Kisses

Carefully balancing Ahiru in one arm, Fakir flicked the switch with his free hand. The light flickered a little at first, but then stayed on with a steady glow; he let his breath out in relief before pulling the towel off the rack and laying it on the counter. He set Ahiru down atop it with the utmost care and then began to rummage around. A quick search produced a couple more clean towels that he put beside the sink, as well as fresh bandages and antiseptic.

He winced a little, involuntarily, as he started unwrapping the rest of the makeshift bandages on his hand. They’d mostly come loose before, but some were stuck to his skin thanks to the dried blood from when the wound was inflicted and it stung to peel them off, on top of the ever-present ache from the fresh injury that his last, frenzied burst of writing had reopened. He actually didn’t care about the pain, and would’ve preferred to go straight to tending Ahiru while ignoring himself, but he knew he needed to clean the blood and ink off his fingers before doing that, for her sake.

 _Sorry, Ahiru_ , he thought, risking a quick glance at her as he took the last of the bloodied cloth off. _I’ll try to do this as fast as I can_. His stomach churned at the sight of her injuries, at what looked like blood on her feathers, and he looked away swiftly. He knew there was a chance the blood might be his, but he also knew that those horrible beaks probably had cut her in some places, as they relentlessly attacked and –

 _Stop_ , he told himself, as firmly as he could muster. He tried to quell the nausea that rose in him at the thought of what she’d endured this night, tried to force it out of his mind. It was over, and she was alive, and it would do neither of them any good to dwell on how things might have gone wrong. Ahiru was hurt, yes, but she was alive and safe and no one would ever harm her again, not if he could help it.

As he started rubbing soap all over his hands, an old memory, unbidden, unwanted, floated to the surface of his mind like so much pond scum, and this time the wince came not from the pain of something touching his wounded hand, but at the recollection of cruel words he’d once spoken. Had he _really_ said that protecting Ahiru was pointless? The guilt he felt manifested itself physically now, as an ache in his chest and a burning sensation in his eyes. There weren’t words to describe just how wrong he’d been about that, about so many things but maybe especially that, about the immense worth of the little duck resting on the counter beside him. Protecting her, helping her – those things were so important. _She_ was so important. And she deserved so much better than to have someone like him at her side, someone who’d treated her so regrettably when they’d first met.

That promise had clearly meant the world to her, though, had eased her heart enough to allow her to let go of the pendant and return to what she was now. He knew she didn’t love him the way he loved her – and he didn’t expect her to – but being so dear a friend to her that such a vow could help her so much was more than good enough. He still thought she deserved better, but if he could make her happy in any way, if he could take even a little of the sting out of her losses for her, that was good. She deserved that much at the very least, and her happiness mattered more than anything else.

He scrubbed his fingers and under his nails until the ink stains looked as faint as they were going to get for now, and made sure that the wound in his hand had stopped bleeding again before shutting the water off and reaching for one of the towels. It was soft and fluffy, and something about the feel of it on his skin made him think about crawling into bed. It hit him for the first time just how exhausted he was, and he had to stifle a yawn and remind himself that there was still a lot to do before he could go to sleep.

“… Qua-quack?”

As if on cue, the weak little quack served to instantly wake him up again. “Ahiru?” The towel still draped over his hands – hiding his injury from her view – Fakir looked over at her. “Are you all right?” He bent down to take a closer look. “What’s wrong?”

“Quack…” She extended one small wing that trembled slightly, and touched his cheek. “Quaaack?”

It was at that point that two things finally registered for him. One, that the concern in her eyes matched what he felt as he peered at her. And two, that his cheeks were damp because he’d been crying without realizing it as he washed his hands and thought about her. She’d woken up in time to see that, and he cursed himself for making her worry.

“I’m fine.” He took his uninjured hand out of the towel and stroked the top of her head. “Don’t worry, all right?”

“Quack? Quack!” She shook her head, looking every bit as anxious. “Quack…”

“I mean it.” He rubbed her head with his thumb. “I’m just exhausted, is all. We’ve been up all night, and it hasn’t been easy… I guess I just needed that release. I didn’t even know I… anyway, though, it’s not something to get yourself worked up over, idiot. I’m okay.”

“Quack…” She still looked sad and concerned for him, but seemed to accept his explanation.

“That’s better.” He tried to smile at her. “Just relax and go back to sleep. I only need a few more minutes and then I’ll take care of you, I promise. Sorry it’s taken so long already.”

“Quack! Quack quack!” She shook her head, as if to say that it was okay, and then settled herself back down on the towel and closed her eyes. Fakir watched her for a moment, and then let out a sigh as he lifted his hand and wiped at his face.

 _Idiot_ , he thought as he started unrolling the bandages for application once he’d put some antiseptic on his wound _. Don’t go making her worry. She’s been through enough tonight without that. You’re not worth stressing her out after all she’s endured._ He cut the bandages once he felt like he had enough of them, and carefully began to wrap them around his hand, hoping Ahiru would stay asleep this time and not see what he’d done to himself… had it really been a matter of _hours_ ago? It felt like an age had passed since he’d stabbed his hand with that letter opener, since he’d rushed to the lake and held her and danced with her and made his promise, but it had really only been mere hours. What a night.

He tried to push everything that had come after that dance out of his mind as he finished taking care of himself and moved on to carefully cleaning and bandaging Ahiru’s injuries, tried to focus his mind exclusively on the task at hand. It was a painful thing, to see up close what she’d suffered while trying to save everyone, but he didn’t let himself avert his eyes because he knew that he needed to properly treat the wounds. Ahiru was so exhausted that she somehow slept through all of it, and he found himself silently grateful for it, that she wasn’t awake to feel any pain brought on by even his careful tending.

She was still asleep when he finished, and snoozed on as he put away all the things he’d used. When he’d done that he found himself staring down at her, his heart aching anew. There was so much he wanted to say to her now, so much he wished he could tell her, if only so she’d know that she was cared for… but the words stuck in his throat and he couldn’t pull them out, partly out of fear that she’d wake up again and hear him say how he truly felt about her. So instead, he smiled sadly and bent down to press a tender kiss to the top of her head. She didn’t awaken or stir, but merely made a soft chirp in her sleep, and it was so heart-meltingly adorable that Fakir felt himself relax a little.

She woke up a few minutes later, as Fakir carefully carried her in his arms towards where the others awaited. She still felt drained of energy, and her wounds ached, but at the same time she felt a strange sort of happiness that she couldn’t explain.

\---

“Owwww…”

Ahiru winced; she’d stubbed her toe on the doorframe as she left the bathroom, and of _course_ it’d been the one that ached most after all her pointe practice that day. Not caring about still being out in the middle of the hallway, she sat down on the floor to carefully massage her sore toe. What did it matter that she was blocking the hall, anyway? It was the middle of the night and no one else was awake to be bothered by her sitting here.

Or were they? Something caught her eye as she rubbed her toe, and she glanced over with some surprise to see Fakir’s light peeking out from under his door. Did he usually stay up this late? She couldn’t remember if she’d ever seen his light on at this hour before. Curiosity overwhelmed her, and she ungracefully scrambled to her feet and tried to tiptoe over to his door to eavesdrop on what he might be doing.

It occurred to her too late that she might overhear him doing something that was none of her business and that he certainly wouldn’t _want_ to be heard doing, but that thought fled almost immediately when what greeted her was silence. Her expression quirked into a puzzled frown as she pressed her ear against the door and didn’t hear anything; she listened for a moment, and then pulled back so she could move her hair away from her ear and try again, in case that was blocking any sounds.

Still nothing. She hesitated, then knocked lightly on the door, hopefully not loud enough to wake Charon. “Fakir?” she whispered. “A-are you awake?”

When a full minute had passed without any answer, Ahiru risked opening the door, her heart racing nervously. _What if something was wrong?_ But the scene that greeted her as the door swung open – without a sound, thankfully, for the creaky hinges had been oiled just last week – set her worries instantly at ease. Fakir had his head down on his desk, resting on his folded arms, and though his face was mostly hidden from her it was obvious that he’d merely fallen asleep while in the midst of working on a story. It was kind of adorable, really, and Ahiru had to muffle a giggle behind her hand. _Oh, Fakir… how like you to do this._

It wouldn’t be very good for him to _stay_ sleeping like this, though, so after a minute or two of amused watching Ahiru stepped fully into the room, carefully closed the door as quietly as she could, and crept towards him. She hesitated for a moment, and then laid her hands on his shoulders, hating the way her heart fluttered at the contact – why did it have to keep doing that whenever they touched? It was so annoying. “F-Fakir?” She bent down a little, and gently shook him. “Fakir…”

“Hnnngh?” He lifted his head to look blearily up at her, blinking as the bright light met his eyes. “Ahiru… what… what are… you…” He trailed off in a yawn.

“Um, I – I – I’m sorry to wake you, b-but… it’s really really late and you shouldn’t sleep like this, it’s bad for you,” Ahiru stammered, feeling a blush spread across her cheeks. “You – you should – go to bed and, a-and turn off the light and be comfortable…”

“…Oh… yeah… yeah, you’re…” Fakir yawned again as he sat up fully, a dim memory seeming to dawn on him as he did. He looked down at the paper on the desk, at the quill he’d set aside, and then back at Ahiru. “Thanks for… for waking me, but…” He frowned. “What are _you_ still doing up?”

“I’m not!” Ahiru shook her head. “I – I mean – okay, I guess I kinda _am_ up, but I’m not _still_ up, I went to bed and I fell asleep but then I woke up to use the bathroom and I stubbed my toe and I sat down cause it hurt and I know that blocks the hallway but I thought nobody else was awake so it didn’t matter but then I saw your light on and I thought you were awake so I came in to see if everything was okay and…” She paused to take a breath, and felt her cheeks grow even hotter. “B-but um, anyway, that’s how I found you, s-so…”

“Ah. Well…” Fakir yawned again, and rubbed at his eyes. There was a little bit of dried ink, she noticed, under the nails of his right hand, and she felt a little lump in her throat as she caught sight of the scar on the back of it. In terms of physical size it was so little, noticeable only because of the difference in color from the rest of his skin, yet it was really so huge in terms of what it represented, what it meant. He’d hurt himself for her sake, to save her from Drosselmeyer, and it would always remind her of that, of how far he’d come as a person and how much he cared about her now. Even if he never returned her feelings it was enough to know she was that important to him, that he’d do something like _that_ for her. “You can… go back to bed now, don’t worry about me, I just…”

“Nuh-uh. No _way_.” She planted her hands on her hips, and tried to look as stern as she could. “You’re so silly you’ll probably just fall asleep on your desk again if I leave you here.”

“What?” Fakir blinked slowly. “Will not.”

“Yeah, you won’t, but that’s cause you’re going to bed.” Ahiru took hold of his hands – making herself ignore the way _that_ felt – and tugged on them. “Come _on_.”

Fakir scowled, but in his half-awake state could only muster a fraction of his normal grumpiness and thus only managed to look groggy and pouty, making Ahiru try not to giggle at how cute he was. “Idiot… I can…” Another yawn, even as he obeyed her and rose to his feet, swaying slightly on them. “Make it on my own…”

“Maybe, but I’m helping you anyway,” Ahiru said, slinging his arm around her shoulders and pulling on him. It reminded her of the times during the story when she’d had to drag him back to his room – first after he’d been injured by Rue’s birds, and then later after he’d been up for three days and nights to be a Spinner – but without Princess Tutu’s enhanced strength, she nearly staggered under his weight. At least there wasn’t as far to walk this time, though. She tugged on his arm again, and though he stumbled slightly he walked along with her without further protest. And it did feel nice to have his arm around her, really.

 _Stop it,_ she told herself severely. _Don’t think about things like that. It doesn’t do any good_. She shook her head a little, as if to shake those silly thoughts about Fakir out of them, and then carefully helped him sit down on the bed as they reached it. He let out a soft sigh as he sank onto the mattress, and she couldn’t deny that it was a relief for her too. Despite how good it was to have his arm around her, he was so much bigger and heavier than she was, and if they’d had to walk any real sort of distance like that she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t have collapsed, and how embarrassing that would have been.

“There you go,” Ahiru said, a note of satisfaction in her voice. “Now you can go to sleep and get some rest and work on your story tomorrow cause we have no school and you have all day… want me to turn the light off for you?”

“Not yet.” Fakir shook his head. “I have to…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but reached up behind his head to undo the tie that held his long hair back from his face. He deposited the tie on his bedside table and shook his hair out a little, not noticing the way Ahiru’s breath caught in her throat and her cheeks turned pink all over again. “There. Goodnight…” He yawned again as he settled himself under the covers, and seemed to fall back asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Ahiru, meanwhile, felt more awake than ever as she stared down at him, a deep longing stirring in her heart not for the first time. Or, she suspected, the last. How handsome he looked even while asleep, enough to take her breath away. _A real sleeping beauty_ , she caught herself thinking, and had to stifle a giggle against her hand. She could just imagine how he’d react to that description: with a red face and a scowl and a stammered admonishment to not say stupid things, idiot. So she’d keep it to herself.

Not like that was anything new, of course. Ahiru sighed. Ever since she’d realized the true nature of her feelings for Fakir she’d had to keep a _lot_ inside, and it was a struggle, one that never let up, not even for one day. Every day she had to try not to stare at him, every day she had to work to not let the emotions that burned in her heart show, and it was getting harder and harder. She had a feeling that one of these days she was just going to blurt it out or something, for better or worse.

 _Probably worse_. Her shoulders slumped. She knew Fakir cared a lot about her, but could he ever fall in love with her, the way she’d fallen in love with him? Likely not. She was a girl now, and thanks to his writing always would be, but at heart she was still just a duck, awkward and clumsy and weird, and she couldn’t imagine him developing romantic feelings for her when he knew all about her origin as a small bird, not to mention when she was… well, the way that she was. She just hoped it didn’t make things too strange between them when she inevitably confessed, and if it did that it didn’t last long.

What would it be like if he said he had feelings for her too, though? Excitement bubbled up inside her as she studied his sleeping face and pondered that possibility. It wasn’t likely to happen, but oh how _wonderful_ it’d be if it did. He’d smile at her, and hold her hand, and pull her close, and then… and then they’d _kiss_. Another giggle had to be stifled at that. What would it feel like to kiss him? Really really good, no doubt, but the specifics of _how_ good were a mystery.

A thought occurred to her, making her pause as she reached for the lamp to turn it off: if this really were Sleeping Beauty, she’d have to wake him with a kiss right now. But as much as she yearned for a kiss from Fakir, she didn’t want it to be while he was sleeping, that was weird, and besides, she didn’t want to wake him up and have to explain everything.

But there _was_ something she could do, that was probably okay, and that humans apparently did all the time before somebody they loved went to sleep. So  after a moment of hesitation Ahiru turned back, leaned down, and kissed Fakir’s cheek. She opened her mouth to say goodnight, but then thought better of it as that could end up waking him after all.

As it was she experienced a brief moment of terror when he stirred a little, but fortunately he didn’t open his eyes and she relaxed. He mumbled something inaudible and smiled slightly in his sleep, making Ahiru draw her breath in sharply. Feeling a fresh blush grow on her face, she switched the light off and fled back to her own room, her heart racing all over again at what she’d done, and by some small miracle managed not to bump into anything. She only hoped that he wouldn’t realize in the morning that she’d kissed him, even if it was only on his cheek.

To her immense relief, his behavior at breakfast indicated that he had no knowledge of it.

And neither of them would ever know that what he'd said in his sleep had been 'I love you'.

\---

“Ahiru?” Fakir knocked on the door. “Are you ready?”

“Y-yeah!” Ahiru beamed at him as she came out of her room. “S-sorry, I would’ve been ready sooner but I had to find my other mitten, I couldn’t remember where I’d dropped it and I had to look all over, I’m so featherbrained …” Her happy expression fell as quickly as it had appeared. “S-sorry… I – I don’t know how you put up with me sometimes…”

“Don’t.” Fakir took one of her mittened hands, feeling his heart flutter at how perfectly it fit in his. “It’s not – I don’t ‘put up’ with you. Being with you is…” He swallowed, his face warming. “A gift. Not a burden. You know that.”

“O-oh… y-yeah, I…” She looked down at her feet, warmth suffusing her face as well. “S-sorry.”

“Idiot.” He ruffled her hair where it stuck up around the earmuffs she had on. “You’ve got nothing to apologize for.” He squeezed her hand. “Want to go now?”

“Y-yeah!” Her expression brightened again, and she nodded, and Fakir smiled back at her.

They stopped by the forge first to let Charon know where they were going before heading out of the house and into the gentle flurry that swirled feathery flakes of snow all around them. It was hardly the first snow of the season, however, which was the entire point of this outing. Fakir kept hold of Ahiru’s hand as they navigated the streets on their way to the lake, dodging little snow drifts and careful to avoid patches of ice. Ahiru looked so adorable in her mittens and scarf and earmuffs that it was hard not to steal frequent glances at her, but he somehow managed to keep a good enough focus on where he was going that he didn’t walk into any lampposts.

Ahiru, meanwhile, caught sight of her reflection in a brightly lit shop window, and an idea sparked in her head. “Hey – Fakir – wait – look…” She tugged on his hand before letting go.

“What is it?” He turned to her with a quizzical look on his face. “Something wrong?”

“N-no, not all! Just wait…” She took hold of her earmuffs  - which were big, fluffy, and white – and adjusted them so that the headband rested behind her head while her ears stayed protected from the cold. “Look! I’m Princess Tutu!”

Fakir couldn’t help but laugh, and it was so warm that Ahiru felt like she’d just taken a big gulp of hot cocoa. “Yeah… you are.” He would’ve taken her hand again, but just at that moment a little snowflake drifted down to land on the tip of her nose. “Oh… hold still a moment…”

“H-how come?” Ahiru did as he asked, but couldn’t help but be curious about why the odd request.

“Just a moment – there.” Fakir carefully removed the snowflake from her nose with one finger, and held it out to show her. “You had this on your nose.”

“Oh!” She giggled. “And ooh, I love snowflakes.” Quick as a flash, she darted her tongue out to lick it off his finger, and giggled again. “Yummy…”

Fakir raised an eyebrow, even as he laughed. “That was more like a frog than a duck, you know. Maybe that’s what you really were all along.”

“Was not!” Ahiru pretended to pout. “If – if I’d been a frog, I would go ‘ribbit’, not ‘quack’. And I’d be all green and slimy and stuff and you’d think I was gross…”

“Never,” Fakir said softly. “I could never think you were gross.”

“Even if I’d been a frog instead of a duck?” The look she gave him was more serious, and he could tell she actually was invested in the answer.

“Even then.” He ruffled her hair again. “There’s nothing wrong with frogs, they’re cute too. Ducks are the best, of course, but I wouldn’t have been put off by you if you’d been a frog either.”

Ahiru giggled and blushed. “I – I don’t know if I’d say ducks are the _best_ …”

“I would.” He took her hand as they started walking again. “They’re cute and smart and friendly and very very brave.” They both knew he was talking about her specifically as well as ducks in general, and identical spots of pink appeared on their faces. “I’m not sure why there are so few fairy tales about them compared to swans.”

Ahiru shrugged. “I guess people think swans are prettier and more majestic or something.”

“What they are is meaner and more vicious. I prefer ducks.” Fakir squeezed her hand. “I always have.”

“I… I’m...” Ahiru blinked rapidly, and he could see happy tears in her eyes as she smiled up at him. “So glad…”

“Good.” He smiled at her. She hadn’t fixed her earmuffs, but as long as they still covered and protected her little ears from the cold he didn’t have the heart to remind her, not when she looked so cute. Had he been aware, before he met her, that it was possible for any one person to be so adorable? He didn’t think so. And before they’d become a couple he _definitely_ hadn’t been aware that he was capable of being so happy. She’d taught him so much, and he would never let himself forget any of it.

They only had a little further to go before they reached the lake, and when they got there Ahiru let go of his hand and ran ahead a little so she could throw her arms wide and twirl around in the snow, her long braid flying behind her in a bright arc. She giggled happily, and then quacked when Fakir caught her by the waist and lifted her into the air. He spun her around as though they were dancing a pas de deux, and her face positively glowed with a joy that was more than matched in Fakir’s eyes as they gazed at each other. When he stopped spinning her she flung her arms around his neck and leaned forward to rub her cheek against his. She held him tightly not out of fear of being up so high, but because her heart was swelling with a surge of love for him. Did he know just how happy he made her? She hoped so.

“Remember when we came here when I was just a duck?” Ahiru asked as he let her down. “You didn’t want to at first cause you thought it’d be too cold for me but I got you to anyway and you tucked me inside your coat on the way here, like you did that time when you found me in your locker and took me outside before you knew I was a duck.”

“I remember.” Fakir reached out and brushed a snowflake away from her eye. She’d quacked at him so insistently that he’d given in, on the condition that she bundle up in the clothes he’d made her; and really, how could he ever say no to anything she wanted? It didn’t seem possible. “You ran around in the snow flapping your wings and trying to make snowballs to throw at me because you’d seen some of the children doing that with each other.”

“Y-yeah.” Ahiru blushed at the memory. “I – I thought it’d be fun if we played like that, cause I’d never gotten to and I didn’t know if you had and I didn’t want to throw it at you to hurt you, I’d never do that, but the kids were laughing and I thought you’d laugh too if I did that and I like hearing you laugh cause it means you’re happy…”

“And I _was_ happy that day.” He reached out and took her hand again. “Don’t doubt that. We may not have had the snowball fight you wanted, but we had fun. And you…” His face turned red. “You looked so cute, trying to make them, and running around like that…”

“A-and we made a snow duck too!” Ahiru blushed at his comment about her being cute. “Remember that? That was so fun!”

“Yeah.” Fakir smiled. “It was.”

“I know! Why don’t we make another one now?” Ahiru’s eyes lit up. “Please? Will you help me make another?”

“Of course.”

They knelt down on the ground, and gathered what looked like enough snow into a pile between them. In between working to sculpt it into the shape of a duck they gently threw excess clumps of snow at each other, and laughed every time. In the distance they could hear the sounds of people skating on the lake, but it seemed worlds away, and they only had eyes for each other and the task at hand.

“There!” Ahiru clapped her hands together and beamed as they finally finished it. They’d molded the snow into a larger version of her duck form, complete with the lone feather sticking up from the top of her head. “It… it’s perfect! Thank you, Fakir!”

“I… you’re welcome.” Fakir swallowed hard as he gazed at her. Somehow she looked even lovelier at this moment, her cheeks pink from the cold and her eyes shining with pride and happiness. Her nose was pink too, right where those little freckles he loved so much were, and her smile made it harder to breathe.

Ahiru tilted her head in confusion as she noticed his expression. “Huh? Is something wrong?”

“Not at all.” He shook his head. “It’s just… you…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, leaning forward over the snow duck to touch his forehead to hers; understanding flashed in her eyes and she trembled for reasons that had nothing to do with the cold. He couldn’t resist rubbing his nose against hers, making her giggle, and then the giggle turned to a soft sigh as their lips met in a kiss. It lingered long enough and generated so much heat between them that Ahiru was surprised to see that the duck remained unmelted when they finally pulled apart.

They stayed out a little while longer after that before returning home for dinner, and the rest of the day felt all the more special for their having shared that moment.

\---

Ahiru set the brush down on the bathroom counter, content with how her hair looked – and really, it was never going to completely behave, and by now she was okay with that – and reached for the ring she’d set well away from the sink. She’d never once lost it, but it was so small (it had to be if it was going to fit on her tiny finger without sliding right off) that she was afraid of it somehow going down the drain while she washed her face or hands. Now that she was done getting ready for the day, she finally felt safe putting it on.

A little smile lit her face as she slipped it onto her finger. It had been a bit over two years, but putting it on had never once failed to give her that special thrill. Her favorite was on their anniversaries, where she hadn’t put it on herself; instead, Fakir had slid it onto her finger for her, and she had put his on for him, just like at their wedding. It was a tradition she’d suggested, and they were both very fond of it and intended to continue it every subsequent year of their marriage.

Married life suited them both. It wasn’t much different from when they’d merely lived together, but all the same they’d taken to it without any difficulties. They divided up the household chores evenly and fairly, and so things were balanced and harmonious. Every weekday morning Ahiru rose early and headed off to her job at the Academy they’d once attended together, teaching ballet to young children, and returned in time for lunch with Fakir, who spent the day writing and tending to his responsibilities around the house. He didn’t need to get up as early as she did – and in fact she’d tried at first to make him stay in bed, to no avail – but did anyway, to make her breakfast and send her out the door with a kiss and good wishes. The arrangement worked perfectly, and she could see it continuing to do so for quite a long time.

She hurried to the kitchen now that she was done, where she found Fakir sitting at the table reviewing their shopping list. He heard her open the door, and turned to look at her with a soft smile on his face. “Hey.”

“Hi!” She hurried over to him and planted a little kiss on his cheek. “A-are you ready? Sorry I took so long…”

Fakir shook his head. “You didn’t. Don’t worry.” He caught her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her right above where her wedding ring twinkled in the light. “But yeah… I’m ready. Let’s go.”

“Okay!” Ahiru beamed at him, and stepped back so he could get out of the chair. They grabbed their shopping bags before heading out the door, and Ahiru gazed happily up at the sky as Fakir locked up. It was a beautiful spring day, clear and cool, and everywhere you looked flowers were beginning to bloom. If asked right now, she’d say this was her favorite time of year; that she could say that about multiple points in the year didn’t in any way diminish her love for this one.

They held hands all the way into the main part of town from their little cottage near the lake, letting go only when they had to gather items for purchasing. They were running low on some non-food household things, as well as pantry staples like flour and sugar, so they stopped at a store to pick those up before heading to the farmer’s market to pick up fresh food for the next few days. Ahiru selected some of her favorite cheeses and some new jam and honey, and they spent a good while debating which vegetables and fruits they wanted to incorporate into their upcoming meals before buying any. Once that was done there was only one more stop to make before heading home.

“Which color do you want today?” Fakir asked as Ahiru perused the selection at the flower seller’s stall.

“Hmmm…” The return of spring meant a riot of bright colors and a wide selection, so Ahiru took a few minutes longer than she usually did to make her choice. “Um… I think… this one!” She plucked a flower with wide petals that were a buttery shade of yellow. “I want this one!”

“All right.” Fakir paid out the few coins necessary to the seller, and then gently took the flower from Ahiru’s hand so that he could stick it into her hair, making her giggle happily and blush. It was another of their traditions, one they’d started years ago: every time they shopped at the farmer’s market and the flower seller was here, he’d buy her one and she’d wear it in her hair until they got home, at which point she’d put it in a pretty vase he’d bought her. The flower seller knew them well by now thanks to their frequent patronage.

After that it was time to head home, but they didn’t get very far before they had to stop short, lest a little boy running around crash into them. He was all alone, with no parent in view, a common sight in a small town like Gold Crown. They watched him go past, and would’ve walked on home if he hadn’t almost immediately tripped over a loose cobblestone and tumbled to the ground.

“Oh no!” Ahiru hurried over in the boy’s direction nearly as soon as he fell. No parent was rushing out to help him, and he’d already started crying. “Fakir, let’s help!”

Fakir was already on his way, though, having had the same idea, and set his grocery bag down on the ground before kneeling beside the boy. “Hey – you all right?”

“Huh?” The boy paused in his tears to look over at Fakir, and sniffled when he saw the concerned look on his face. “I uh… I uh… I guess… but I…” He sat up and pointed to his knee, which had a scrape on it that was bleeding slightly. “I got a owie on my knee…”

“Aw, I’m sorry.” Fakir ruffled his hair. “Do you want me to fix it up for you?”

“You can do that?” His eyes widened.

“Yeah.” Fakir reached into his bag and pulled out the antiseptic ointment and bandages he and Ahiru had bought earlier, along with a clean tissue from his pocket. He wiped the blood away carefully, and then opened up the bottle of ointment. “This might sting a little, but it’ll help it get better faster and you won’t get infected. Okay?”

“O-okay.” He nodded. “Th-thank you, mister.”

“Fakir.” He smiled at him. “You can just call me Fakir.”

“Okay. Thank you, mister Fakir.” Hovering at his side, Ahiru stifled a giggle behind her hand. “It… it won’t sting too much, will it?”

Ahiru set her bag down by Fakir’s and knelt down by the little boy. “Don’t worry,” she said, in her most reassuring voice. “It’ll sting like he said, but he’s right, it’ll help, and it’ll only be at first anyway, and then it’ll feel all right. He’d never hurt you.”

He hiccupped. “A-are you his friend? What’s your name?”

“I’m Ahiru.” She smiled. “And we’re married, actually. See?” She held out her hand to show the boy her ring. “And look, he has one too.” She pointed to the matching wedding band on Fakir’s hand, shining in the sunlight as he squeezed a little ointment on his finger and then carefully began to apply it to the boy’s scrape.

“Oh. It’s pretty.” He was so distracted by Ahiru’s ring that he barely noticed the sting of the ointment, and Fakir smiled at Ahiru as he finished and opened up a little bandage.

“There.” He carefully stuck the bandage on over the scrape, and ruffled the little boy’s hair again. “All done. That didn’t hurt too much, did it?”

“Huh? Oh!” The boy’s face lit up as he looked down at his knee, all freshly bandaged up. “You – you fixed my owie! Thank you, mister Fakir!”

“You’re welcome.” He smiled. “Just be more careful when you’re running around so you don’t get another one.” He reached up and wiped the tears off his cheeks.

“I – I will! A-and… will you… will you promise not to tell anybody I cried?” A look of shame passed over his face. “My big brother’ll make fun of me if he hears, cause he says boys shouldn’t cry.”

Fakir frowned. “He’s wrong. Crying isn’t anything to be ashamed of.”

A curious expression replaced his embarrassment. “Really? Do _you_ ever cry?”

“Yeah, I do.” He nodded. “It’s good to do when you’re sad, to let things out; your feelings are your own and they’re okay to have. Somebody important taught me that a long time ago.”

“He – he’s right,” Ahiru chimed in, feeling a lump grow in her throat. “It’s okay to cry when you’re hurt. I – I mean, if you don’t want us to tell anybody, we won’t, but – but you should know that it’s okay if you do, you know?”

The boy pondered that. “Can… can I tell my brother that two grown-ups said that next time he makes fun of me?”

“Of course.” Fakir gave his hair another little ruffle before rummaging around in his bag. “Here.” He handed him one of the little individually wrapped candies they’d bought at a stall just a short while ago. “For you. For being so brave. And no, crying doesn’t make you any less brave. That important person taught me _that_ , too.”

“Oooh!” His troubles forgotten in the face of candy, the boy’s face lit up. “Thank you mister Fakir! And miss Ahiru!” He likely would’ve opened it up then and there to eat it, but a voice calling out from nearby made him scramble to his feet. “I – I gotta go home now! Bye! Thank you!” He ran off in the direction of the voice, but not before waving goodbye to them.

“Bye!” Ahiru waved back at him, and then stood up and retrieved her grocery bag while Fakir did the same.

Fakir expected Ahiru to chatter to him all the way home about their encounter with the little boy, but she seemed lost in thought and barely spoke as they walked along. Unbeknownst to him, though, she kept looking at him and smiling to herself, and impatience to be alone together bubbled up inside her as they got closer to their house.

At last, they reached their front door, which Fakir unlocked while Ahiru practically bounced up and down on her feet beside him. They headed to the kitchen and no sooner had they both set their bags down on the table than Ahiru flung her arms around him and stood up on her toes to plant a passionate kiss on his lips. Fakir bent down almost reflexively, before lifting her up off her feet a little as the kiss continued.

“What brought that on?” he asked breathlessly as they parted for air. “Not… that I mind…”

“I – I’m ready.” Ahiru’s eyes shone as she gazed up at him. “I – I wasn’t sure before, but now I am… I’m ready to start trying. A-are you?”

“… Yeah.” Fakir smiled, and nodded. “I think… I finally am too.”

“A-are you sure?” Ahiru pressed him. “I don’t want to push you into it or anything before you’re really ready, we should both be sure we are before we take any steps…”

“I am.” Fakir nodded again. “I’m sure. I want this, I want it with you… and I’m ready for it at last.” He touched her cheek. “Sorry for making you wait… and thank you for being patient with me.”

“It – it’s okay!” Ahiru shook her head. “I – I’ve been nervous too, and I understand why you’ve been afraid, it’s okay… I know this probably seems weird and sudden, but after earlier… I feel like… I don’t know… I feel like the time’s right now, for both of us. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yeah.” Fakir smiled. “I do.”

“Okay, good! I’m glad.” Ahiru’s eyes shimmered with happy tears. “Oh Fakir… I know it’ll still be scary for both of us, but I’m excited too…”

“So am I.” He stroked her hair. “And yeah… it will be, but… we’re in it together. So it won’t be so bad.”

“Y-yeah, that’s true.” Ahiru’s smile grew even brighter. “I – I love you, Fakir.”

Warmth filled him, and it showed in his face as he gazed down at her. “I love you too, Ahiru.”

He pulled her close, not for another kiss but for a hug, and they held each other for several minutes before breaking apart reluctantly so they could put away the day’s purchases.

\---

A tiny, quack-like yawn escaped Ahiru; she muffled it behind her hand even as Fakir looked over at her with amusement in his eyes. She pretended to make a face at him, and it was a wonder he didn’t start laughing. As it was, she could hear some of his mirth in his voice as he continued to softly sing a lullaby to the baby he gently held in his arms; it didn’t seem to cancel out the soothing effect of his singing, however, which they were both thankful for.

Ahiru smiled to herself as she watched them, and leaned her head against Fakir. His voice had always calmed her when he sang, ever since the first time she’d heard it years ago while she was a duck, before he’d transformed her back. Evidently it was the same for their daughter, because within barely a couple minutes of him beginning the song her fussiness had melted away, her crying slowing down and then stopping completely. Now she was snoozing gently in her father’s arms, and Ahiru wanted to reach up and touch her little cheek, but fearing that that would undo Fakir’s efforts she resisted the urge.

When they were sure that little Flora was fast asleep, Fakir carefully laid her down in her crib and spread the small blanket Ahiru had knitted during her pregnancy over her. Wanting to be really certain she was sleeping, they took a moment to stand and watch her together, their gazes lovingly taking in her tiny features. She looked so much like both of them – she had Fakir’s brown skin and dark hair, though it shone red in the right light instead of green like his, and Ahiru’s blue eyes, and her face resembled Ahiru’s too. Fakir had said back when they’d started trying to conceive her that any child of theirs would be beautiful because they’d be blessed with Ahiru’s unparalleled cuteness in their genes; such statements still made her blush and demur, but there was no denying that their daughter was truly adorable.

They backed quietly out of the room after a few minutes, and Ahiru let out another tiny yawn. Fakir kissed the top of her head. “Tired?” he asked in a low voice.

“J-just a little…” Ahiru’s voice betrayed her, turning into yet another yawn as she finished the last word of her sentence. “I – I can’t help it… it always really relaxes me too when you sing like that…”

“Let’s get you to bed, then.” Without waiting for her to answer, Fakir scooped her up in his arms. Ahiru quacked in surprise, but then snuggled closer and nuzzled her face against his neck. He carried her the short distance down the hall to their bedroom, where the door was thankfully ajar, and set her down gently on the bed. Ahiru climbed under the covers while he moved to his side to join her, and when he’d done that she threw her arms around him and pressed her face into his shoulder.

“You’re so good with her.” Her voice was muffled, but he could hear the emotion in it all the same. “I told you you would be. I _told_ you.”

“It’s not that I didn’t believe you. I just…” He paused to gather his thoughts, and lifted a hand to stroke her hair. “I’ve been good so far. I know that. I just… I hope I won’t… I don’t want to… I don’t want to start being like I was with him.” He closed his eyes and leaned his head against Ahiru’s. “I can’t help but be scared of that still sometimes. I don’t want to be that person anymore.”

“You won’t be.” Ahiru shook her head. “You’ve changed, Fakir. You haven’t been that person for a long, long time. A-and anyway, you have me here now, you don’t have to take care of her alone, we’re in this together like you said when we decided to start trying to have her, and also she’s not the same as Mytho was, she has her heart and she’ll be able to think for herself, it’ll be different. And _you’re_ different. You don’t have to worry so much.”

“I know. I know all that.” He exhaled, and she felt his breath stir her cowlick. “But a part of me thinks that if I ever stop worrying entirely, that’ll be the first step towards letting myself regress into that person again. I can’t let that happen, for any of our sakes.”

“Yeah… yeah, I understand that.” Ahiru took a deep breath and let it out. “And I… I worry too, you know? Not about you, but about me.”

Fakir frowned, and she heard it in his voice when he spoke. “About you? But what could you have to worry about? You don’t have the awful history I do.”

“N-no, but… but I also don’t know what I’m doing.” Ahiru’s voice caught, and Fakir’s heart ached at the sound of it. “What if I mess up, what if I do stuff wrong? What if I’m bad at it? I don’t want to be a bad mommy…”

“You won’t be.” He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. “I honestly don’t see how you could be. You… you’re the kindest, most loving person I’ve ever known. Any child would be lucky to have you as a mother.”

“You… you really think so?” Ahiru lifted her head to look up at him, her eyes wet with tears.

“I know it.” Fakir touched her cheek and gently wiped a stray tear away. “You’re going to be wonderful. Because you already _are_ wonderful.”

“Oh… oh Fakir…” Ahiru’s lower lip trembled, and then she smiled through her tears. “You too, that goes for you too, I believe in you… I believe in you, and I’m so happy. So so happy… are you happy too?” She didn’t doubt he was – after all, she’d never forget the way his face had lit up with quiet joy when the doctor told them they were going to have a girl – but she still wanted to hear it out loud.

Fakir nodded. “Happier than I once thought I ever could be,” he said quietly. He remembered it well: a time so long ago, when he couldn’t imagine even living to this age, much less marrying the love of his life and having a child with her. It was why he refused to take any of what he had now for granted, and why he saw every single day as a blessing to be cherished. Because he got to live them, and spend them with Ahiru, and now their daughter too. How could he want anything more?

“I’m glad.” Ahiru reached up to touch his cheek, her heart full to bursting with love for him. She too remembered when this all had seemed like an impossibility for her. She’d been just a duck, after all, and probably doomed to disappear when she spoke words of love to the first person she’d fallen for, and then had found herself stuck as a duck seemingly forever. And even when her human form had been restored, she’d still thought that she’d never find this kind of happiness, for she’d doubted that Fakir could love her as she’d come to love him. But he did, and now they were both happy beyond imagining, married and now parents too, with a bright future full of love and joy ahead of them. Once upon a time she’d refused to let herself dream of such things, but now that she had them she didn’t want to let any of it go. “I’m so glad…”

Fakir smiled back at her, and laid his hand on her cheek as well. He didn’t trust his voice to speak again right now, and neither did she, but they didn’t need to. They moved at the same moment, in perfect sync with each other, and let out identical sighs as their lips met in a kiss.

They’d been through a lot to be together, and they still doubted themselves at times. But they believed in each other, and would never doubt that it was all worth it.


End file.
